Despite decades of lobbying, advocacy and campaigning, stigma of mental illness remains an entrenched social problem or, as the authors of this book put it, an issue of social justice. Challenging the Stigma of Mental Illness aims to reduce stigma by providing therapists and advocates with an understanding of how stigma operates, and some practical tools for dealing with it. The book comes with an endorsement from Professor Stephen Hinshaw, whose excellent The Mark of Shame (2007) traversed similar ground. It is somewhat depressing that such an issue needs continuously to be revisited. Nevertheless Corrigan et al. have provided a readable and accessible text that is a valuable contribution to combating stigma.

Challenging the Stigma of Mental Illness contains six major chapters moving through personal accounts and research to public health and political approaches to reducing stigma. The emphasis of the book is highly practical with numerous worksheets and rating instruments that can be used in anti-stigma workshops and training. The book has a broad audience, from mental health professionals (whose attitudes to mental illness are often more stigmatizing than those of the public) to campaigners and advocates. It would be an ideal book for anyone leading a program of stigma reduction.

The various points made throughout the book are illustrated with pithy remarks from fictitious actors which while they are at times a little simplistic, are highly effective in capturing a perspective. Corrigan et al. do not make their case with extended academic argument; instead they speak directly to their audience. There is more than enough referencing to give confidence in the research basis for their arguments, but as they say towards the end of this book, stigma is not about providing something scientifically, or waiting until the evidence is in to begin action. This book is something of a manifesto, with an urgency to action running close to the surface. The long chapter on self stigma segues into empowerment, with the message that services need to address stigma through interventions that assist consumers towards a sense of mastery in their lives. These messages are very consistent with the recovery approach to mental health care, especially in the authors’ reminders that ownership of solutions to mental health problems ultimately lies with those who experience those problems.

In the final chapter Stigma as Social Justice, the authors move beyond stigma as a phenomenon, analogous to (for example) psychosis, which can be targeted for intervention. Indeed the claim here is, and it is convincingly made, that “stigma is first and foremost an issue of social justice”. Stigma is compared to other forms of discrimination such as racism, sexism, and so the right to freedom from stigma is similar to the claim to other human rights. The authors are critical of the idea that a biological understanding of mental illness would result in stigma reduction, noting research that points in the opposite direction: any reduction in negative perceptions is offset by an increased sense of pessimism about its course and outcome. The idea that stigma could be treated out of existence by improved therapy is seen for what it is: professional hubris.

This is a book that would be ideal for an undergraduate health professional program, and could provide a valuable basis for coursework, such as developing an anti-stigma intervention, or simply a class discussion about the reality of stigma. While Corrigan et al. are direct and sober in their assessment of the problem, they are positive about what individuals and groups can do to address it. If the book is a little didactic that is no bad thing. To paraphrase Marx, with social justice issues the point is not to understand the world, it is to change it.

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